YOUR VIEWS

LIBRARY OPEN, THANKS TO YOU

AFTER all the bad news we have over this year there now is one piece of good news.

The Oswaldtwistle Library will re-open on Monday, January 15, 2018 at 9am.

The members of The Lamp Group wish to thank all the people who signed petitions, volunteers’ lists and offered their help in any way they could.

Special thanks to the Post Office, chemists, local newspapers and Radio Lancashire.

Also to all the schoolchildren who sent pictures and letters.

The manager, Mr D Slater, of Oswaldtwistle Lloyds Bank and his staff who ran a book sale and also Mr J Gledhill of the Accrington branch for continuing for us after the Oswaldtwistle one was closed.

The money raised totalled £254 and the bank then generously doubled that amount.

The director of the Oswaldtwistle Mills, Mr P Hargreaves, donated a cheque of £100.

Gayle Knight of the Civic Theatre enabled us to have meetings there.

To each and every one of you, a massive thank you.

There will be an opening ceremony and everyone is most welcome.

Also there will be a meeting at 11am on January 3 at the Civic Theatre for anyone who wishes to be a volunteer at the library or who would be interested in running a group.

Lastly, a big thank you to all the members of The Lamp Group who gave their time and expertise in demonstrating that the community of Oswaldtwistle deserved and wanted the historical building and facility open in their town. Wendy Sanderson The Lamp Group

TOWN SAGA GETS WORSE

IT would appear that the ongoing and sorry saga of the town centre redevelopment shows no sign of abating.

In today’s edition of the Observer we are now informed that the leader of the council is switching the spending of public monies from Peel Street to the Market, supposedly in response to dispositions from stakeholders and businesses (‘Market set to get Peel Street project money’, December 15).

In this instance, there has been consultation and voices have apparently been listened to.

I wonder if the leader of the council could now possibly explain the criteria in determining whose voices and concerns count in this borough and whose voices and concerns don’t. Certainly, over the last few months many people in the borough have had their representations and objections totally ignored over a variety of doubtful schemes which have been given the go-ahead irrespective of the widespread and deep anxiety felt.

Could it possibly be that this time round it is the council’s own vanity project which is at stake? Ask most people in Hyndburn what their opinion is of the £2million THI scheme and they will reply it would have been better spent flushed down the toilet.

Let’s face it, there are other places better suited to an Italian-style piazza than Accrington town centre. May I suggest – and in the spirit of Christmas - a new name for this square – Parkinson’s Folly. Barrie Jordon Church Street, Church